The Holy Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas of Myra gained a new Deacon on the Feast of their Patron, St. Nicholas, on December 19, 2018 (n.s.). His Eminence, Metropolitan Demetrius of America ordained Subdeacon John V. Psaromatis to the Holy Diaconate during the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy.

Fr. John, the son of Vasilios and Margaret Psaromatis, was born on May 1st,, 1986 (n.s.), in Gloversville, NY. He is the eighth of nine children and has five brothers and three sisters. One of Fr. John’s older brothers, Fr. George V. Psaromatis, is the Presbyter of St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church. The Psaromatis grandparents, Panagiotis and Maria, had 14 children and over 50 grandchildren, and were among the small, persecuted group in Greece that remained faithful to the patristic “Old Calendar” since the 1924 ecumenist calendar change. The Psaromatis children learned from their pious grandparents the importance of staying in “the Fold of Christ”—the True Orthodox Church. They also learned from them the power of the Sign of the Cross, as Pappou Panagiotis would always say, «Όποιος κάνει τον Σταυρό του, Όπλο έχει στο πλευρό του» which means, “Whoever makes the Sign of the Cross, has a Weapon at his side.” For her part, Yaya Maria always counseled her many children and grandchildren to make the Sign of the Cross over all of their comings and goings throughout each day, as well as over their pillow before going to sleep each night. Fr. John’s maternal grandparents, Elmer and Nancy Page, were of Irish-Scottish and Native American-Iroquois descent, from upstate New York. Fr. John was baptized as a baby at the Holy Trinity Monastery, in Jordanville, NY.

While visiting his brother and sister-in-law, Fr. George and Presbytera Mary, in Oregon, Fr. John met Katie Parr, the daughter of Fr. Constantine and Presbytera Debra Parr. The two wed in 2010, at the Holy Orthodox Cathedral of the Nativity of the Theotokos. Fr. John and Diakonissa Katie have three children, Margarita-Irene, age 5, Vasili, age 3, and Constantine, age 1, and are soon expecting their fourth child, God willing.

Fr. John had been approached for ordination in the past, as Fr. George has been the only clergyman serving St. Nicholas’s parish of over 100 people, and the young family considered this calling. Finally, in early 2018, Fr. John and Diakonissa Katie said that they reflected deeply on their roles in this life, on their trust in our Savior, and on the seriousness of answering the need to serve the Holy Church of God:

And unto one He gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to each one according to his strength… For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have in abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. (Matt: 14-16; 28-29)

When a person is baptized into the body of Christ, he enters into our Savior’s army and wages war against the evil one. Some are called to the front. May the Theotokos strengthen and support Fr. John and all our deacons, priests, and especially our holy hierarchs, the icons of Christ, for they are all struggling at the front lines of this war.

Glory be to God for all things!

For photos of the ordination, please see the following link (it will take you off our site):

a Because based on it, the First Ecumenical Council established the Paschal Canon and appointed that the feast of Holy Pascha may fall anywhere from March 22nd until April 25th, while with the New (Papal) Calendar it can fall as late at May 8th.

Jonesboro is a town located near the Eastern border of Arkansas, with a population of approximately 60,000. From a human standpoint, it’s not the most likely candidate for a traditional Orthodox mission, but for an Orthodox Christian who orders his priorities around Christ and His Church, it makes perfect sense.
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Q. I noticed that we call the angels Michael and Gabriel "Saint." I thought the title "Saint" was only given to humans who have proven themselves Godly. Do you mind clarifying this for me? Is there a deeper meaning to "Saint" that I am not aware of?